1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image diagnosis support system and an image diagnosis support method for generating a shared object, which has information (scan information) set in past scan, information on an image (key image) used as a basis in a diagnosis, and information on a past study referred at the time of scan as contents thereof, afterwards and managing the shared object in a study executed by using a medical image diagnostic apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, specialized fields of medical practice are subdivided. For example, a work in image diagnosis is divided into acquisition of a diagnostic image of a patient, image interpretation of an acquired diagnostic image and report preparation, explanation of treatment courses or a diagnostic result based on a report result, and the like. Each expert (doctor in charge or technician in charge) takes charge of each work and the medical practice, such as a diagnosis, for a patient, is attained by all of the works. Each expert executes each work on the basis of information that the other experts created in preceding works while appropriately referring to past diagnostic information and the like. For example, these works are performed in a medical image diagnostic apparatus for acquiring a diagnostic image, such as an X-ray CT apparatus or an MRI apparatus, a PACS server that stores a diagnostic image, an image reference apparatus for interpreting a diagnostic image, an image diagnosis report preparation support apparatus, and the like.
In recent years, a system that makes it possible to efficiently use specific information on a past study at the time of an image diagnosis, in which such works are subdivided, is proposed (for example, refer to Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2007-167634. This means that an object, which has information used in past scan, information on a key image, and information on a past study referred at the time of scan as contents thereof, are shared as information. A user may check a key image or a scan condition used in the past diagnosis by referring to the shared object at arbitrary timing in an arbitrary apparatus. For example, the user may reproduce a past study with high precision and obtain an image suitable for comparison interpretation. In addition, in the case of a study scanned with reference to past information, reference history thereof is also stored in a shared object. Accordingly, at the time of image interpretation, a comparison object to be referred may be automatically specified from the information and be displayed. As a result, preparation for image interpretation of a doctor, who performs image interpretation, is significantly reduced.
However, in the case of a study already performed before the system that uses a shared object is introduced, a shared object is not stored. Accordingly, a user should perform the same work as before the system is introduced. For this reason, the following problems are present in the work, for example.
In the case of scan a study suitable for comparison interpretation with respect to previous scan, a technician needs to perform a scan work while referring to and checking an interpretation report of the previous study. As a result, the precision and the study efficiency decrease. Furthermore, at the time of image interpretation, since a preparatory work before starting comparison interpretation, such as selection of a key image and setting of image parameters, is needed, the efficiency of image interpretation is lowered. These problems are noticeable particularly in a large hospital that spends most of the daily studies for comparison with a past study, such as check of a progress. Therefore, it is in urgent need to allow a shared object to be also used in a study in which scan was already completed.